Teens who made deepfake porn of classmates were just sentenced. Will it make a difference?

LANCASTER, PA – A small community and an elite private school were rocked in May 2024 when it was revealed that two male students had created 347 sexually explicit deepfake photos and videos of 60 girls.

Nearly two years later, victims shared their stories in court, highlighting the long-term trauma and far-reaching effects of deepfake abuse.

On March 25, two former male students of Lancaster Country Day School were convicted of child sexual abuse (producing child sexual abuse material) and conspiracy to commit this crime.

Many of the victims read statements given in court, and many referred to one of the boys as their former close friend. One victim described him as her “best friend”, saying he betrayed her trust. Victims said the boy took photos from social media, photos taken at shared parties, and even screenshots from FaceTime calls, and forwarded them to the other boy, who used artificial intelligence to turn them into pornography. One of the victims said she was just 12 years old in one of the photos the boys used to create a sexualized deepfake.

Deepfake abuse is a growing problem in schools across the country, but experts warn school policies, legal recourse and education are far behind. This is especially problematic for underage victims of this abuse. 90 percent of them are women Research shows that these deepfake nude images can have far-reaching and long-lasting consequences.

Victims, their families, and advocates are working to prevent future incidents at other schools through awareness, education, and policy reform.

Two boys prepared deepfake porn of 60 girls. Here’s what you need to know about the case.

What happened at Lancaster Country Day School?

Between October 2024 and May 2024, the two boys created 347 deepfake sexual images and videos of 60 girls; Of those, 48 were other Lancaster Country Day School students, another 12 were acquaintances of the students in the photos, and all but one of the victims were under 18 years old.

According to lawyers representing at least 10 families in the lawsuit filed against the school, the school received a tip about deepfakes in December 2024 but failed to take action.

The school received additional information and filed a ChildLine report with the state in May 2024, but the criminal investigation began only after parents notified law enforcement, according to an investigation by the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office.

“We continue to prioritize the health and well-being of our students,” Emile Kosoff, president of Lancaster Country Day School, said in a statement to USA TODAY. “Our deliberate and intentional approach always aims to ensure that our school community remains informed, continues to improve, and moves forward together.”

‘I felt physically sick’: Victims share deep trauma, nightmares and PTSD

The hearing lasted more than three hours. The two male criminals stood next to their parents and lawyers and were given the opportunity to speak at the beginning and end, but both refused.

As nearly 30 victim impact statements were read, perpetrators often looked at the ground or directly ahead; Many of these came from young female victims, but also from distraught parents and prosecutor Janine Swinehart. Some victims cried as their hands trembled over the newspapers they were reading and had difficulty reading their statements out loud.

Many expressed the deep trauma that has plagued them for the past two years. They said it was hard to trust boyfriends, constantly wondering who was cheating or sexualizing them. One of the victims said the first perpetrator took a screenshot during a FaceTime video call and manipulated it to look as if he was showing his body to her during the call.

Another victim described the pain of seeing her smiling photos taken at a party turned into something pornographic: “Some of the people I shared that joy with are now the people who took that joy away from me.”

“When will we women exist without turning into something we don’t want? When will we appear as ourselves?” he continued.

Victims reported that anxiety, panic attacks, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder emerged after the incident. Two said they had nightmares of being sexually assaulted and were afraid of being left home alone. Some keep their curtains closed and doors locked, afraid to walk on the street. Others shared that their grades had dropped, and many sought therapy to process the experience. Many have expressed concern that these photos might resurface when applying to universities or jobs, or when meeting potential romantic partners. The fear of the unknown hangs over them.

Another victim said it “robbed me of my high school experience.” School is a “living hell”. One mother said the experience still affects her daughter, who is now at university, and she is concerned about images appearing online.

“I never thought school yearbook photos would be used to satisfy you,” another victim told one of the perpetrators. “Your actions impress me every day.”

Perpetrators must complete 60 hours of community service: ‘One for each victim’

Judge Leonard Brown told the two offenders they were sentenced to two years probation and 60 hours of community service (one hour for each victim); This means that they technically remain under the supervision of the juvenile justice system and will not be placed in juvenile detention. At the end of this two-year period, they have the right to request the deletion of their records. They must also pay compensation, which lawyers for both parties say will be finalized within the next 10 days. Contact with victims, including through third parties, is prohibited.

Had they been adults, they would have faced prison time in the state, Judge Brown said, but “the juvenile justice system gives second chances.”

Families and advocates hope for change: ‘This is not harmless, this is not a joke.’

Lancaster County District Attorney Heather Adams ruled that officials at Lancaster Country Day School were not required to report the deepfake incident to the state-run tip line ChildLine or to law enforcement. That’s because of a limitation that families and advocates in the Pennsylvania Legislature are trying to resolve.

As of December 20, 2024, the Pennsylvania Legislature amended its laws to specifically include and define AI child pornography as child sexual abuse material. In some states, artificial intelligence or computer-generated images are not included in existing child pornography legislation.

But there’s a “loophole” in the mandatory reporting law that says you don’t have to report “child-on-child abuse,” according to Matthew Faranda-Diedrich, a partner at the law firm Royer Cooper Cohen Braunfeld, which represents some families from Lancaster Country Day School.

State Sen. Tracy Pennycuick co-sponsored the bill updating Pennsylvania’s AI child pornography laws and hopes to see her state’s bipartisan action expand nationwide. In Pennsylvania, he is sponsoring another bill that would tighten reporting requirements for mandated reporters.

He wants to leave “no ambiguity” about what mandated reporters should act on: “If you suspect there is any type of child sexual abuse material, report it.”

This article first appeared on USA TODAY: Victims of private school deepfake porn scandal speak out